NOVEMBER 9 • 2023 | 9
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tying them for up to five hours 
a day!
There are so many people 
who need help. Soldiers. 
Displaced families. Grieving 
families. Overwhelmed mothers 
with apartments full of terrified 
kids and their husbands on the 
front lines. Everyone is chipping 
in to help.
On one occasion, an alert 
went out in Bet Shemesh that 
270,000 soldiers would be 
arriving for Shabbat and needed 
sleeping gear and food. Within 
one hour, all the mattresses, 
cots, sleeping bags, pillows they 
needed as well as homemade 
food was ready for all those 
soldiers. For 270,000 people!
Messages go out at random 
times for different requests. 
There’s been messages at 2 a.m 
asking for volunteers to dig 
graves, particularly at first when 

there were so many funerals. 
Yosef called as soon as he saw 
the message, about 10 minutes 
after it was sent — but it was 
too late! They already had more 
than enough volunteers and he 
was told not to come. And that’s 
happened many times! There 
are so many people giving and 
doing.
People are learning Torah 
around the clock, doing their 
part to help the war effort 
spiritually. Constant Tehillim 
and prayer, storming the 
heavens. People are taking on 
new mitzvot. Lighting Shabbat 
candles. Baking challah. 
Restaurants are paying to have 
their kitchens kashered so they 
can feed all the soldiers, even 
those that keep the highest 
standards of kashrut. 
People go to the airport in 
the wee hours of the morning 

to welcome reservists so they 
know from the moment they 
arrive that they are appreciated 
and supported. 
Schools were temporarily 
closed once the war broke out 
and only received the green 
light to reopen when they 
were able to prove that all the 
students could reach and fit 
in the approved bomb shelter 
within 90 seconds of hearing 
a siren. There are other cities 
that have 10 seconds but we’re 
40 miles from the south. 90 
seconds is plenty of time. 
People have asked us if we 
regret our move. We could be 
in calm, quiet Oak Park, not 
in a country at war, rushing to 
shelter, hearts racing, scared for 
our lives. Constantly waiting for 
the next siren. Wondering what 
will happen next. 
There’s only so much we can 

do to prepare. 
The answer: We’re here 
to stay; where we feel G-d’’s 
embrace. We are constantly 
inspired by what we see here, 
especially by the constant 
chesed and incredible unity, by 
the Jewish people. 

Keren grew up in Bloomfield Hills, and 

lived in Oak Park with her husband, 

Yosef, for 15 years. In August 2022, 

they made aliyah to Bet Shemesh with 

their four sons. 

Keren with her first batch of freshly 
laundered soldiers’ clothes

Help brighten someone’s holiday!
Help brighten someone’s holiday!

Create lasting holiday memories for those we serve by
participating in Jewish Family Service’s
 Adopt a Family program.

Participation is simple! 

Shop for an individual or family from their wish list, donate 
gift cards, or make a monetary donation to the program. 
However you choose to participate, you will be brightening 
the holidays for so many.
TO SIGN UP, VISIT 
TO SIGN UP, VISIT 
JFSDETROIT.ORG/ADOPT
JFSDETROIT.ORG/ADOPT

Questions? Contact us at 248.970.2655 or 
adoptafamily@jfsdetroit.org.
Jewish Family Service
Jewish Family Service

Adopt a Family